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Children Are A Gift From God - 04/04/14

This has been an exceptionally troubling week in the news biz. We've covered the story of the Nolensville 16 year old who ran away from home. Then, we had to report WHY he did that according to law enforcement. They say the poor kid was being abused, that his mom made him do 15 hundred push ups because he didn't tell her the truth about burning a piece of toast. A piece of toast. I'll say it again, a piece of toast. The sheriff then says after he couldn't complete the push ups (who could?) --- she slapped him around and shook his head (his brain is in there.) Then, the sheriff says she withheld food (he's a growing boy.) So, the poor kid ran away and hid in a hole in the ground he'd obviously been digging and preparing for quite some time. It had a plastic liner, a wood cover all of which was camouflaged with brush. Granted, this mom is innocent until proven guilty..... but the accusations and having to report on this story make my stomach hurt. I had a visceral reaction when I read the details of the arrest report. When the police found him and said it was time to go home, he said, "I can't."

I'm thankful after 22 years working in local and national news, that I still have a pulse, a heart and am not at all numb to the atrocities of child abuse. None of us should be. If we suspect it... we should say something. Better safe than sorry.

Also this week we reported on a Clarksville mom who asked her kids if they were "ready to die?" Really? Who does that? Police say she was drunk driving through town and crawled through the parking lot when they finally caught up with her because she was too drunk to walk.

These reports break my heart over and over again. Children are a gift from God. They are here to bring light to our lives, to remind callous and weathered adults of all the endless possibilities in life.

Last month, a Tennessee stepmom and dad were charged with killing their daughter. Call this one death by grape soda. You heard right. Police say they made their daughter drink 2.4 liters of grape soda and water in two hours to punish her for drinking some of her stepmom's soft drink. Doctors say the massive amount of liquid intake caused her little brain to swell and herniate.

I really feel like I'm going to throw up just writing that part of this blog... the same way I felt when I had to read the story on the news. Oh my gosh. What happens to an adult along the way that would make him or her ever want to hurt a child? How does evil get such a hold over a person? When they look at that little child's eyes... how can they not snap back into goodness? How can they not? I'm melted by my kids' deep, soulful, hopeful little eyes every single day. I sit and stare at them all the time. Sometimes my kids will say, "Mommy, what are you staring at?" I'll say, "You! God says to focus on what is pure, lovely (I'm paraphrasing from Philippians 4:8-9) and commendable... so I'm focusing on you."

In Christian County, a mom there left her kids locked in a room covered in poop. In Columbia, a man is charged with beating his girlfriend's child --- then taking the infant to the doctor saying the baby was unconscious from the flu. Now, a jury has already found this dad guilty of abusing his own 7 year old son and he's already served time in jail for that crime. Who dates someone like that? Why put your child in possible harm's way by courting a convicted child abuser?

For goodness sake, children are a gift from God. If you don't want to love them (even when they're bad,) don't have them or adopt them. Please. Their little souls deserve better.

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Last Update on July 31, 2015 09:31 GMT

GRANDMOTHER-GETAWAY DRIVER

ROCKAWAY, N.J. (AP) -- It's not exactly quality time with grandma. Police in northern New Jersey report busting a grandmother they say was the getaway driver for her grandson and his friends. According to authorities, a tip after a home rip-off led them to stop the car driven by 78-year-old Vera Buniak. She's been charged with possession of stolen property. Her grandson, 18-year-old Timothy Buniak, faces burglary and other charges. Police tell the Daily Record she may not have known a crime was being committed, but she was part of the process.

MEDICAL MARIJUANA-PRICES

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- Medicinal marijuana users in Minnesota are in for some sticker shock. One of the state's legal pot producers is raising prices after less than a month in business. Dr. Kyle Kingsley of Minnesota Medical Solutions tells the AP prices on pills, vapors and liquids are up by as much as 20 percent. The company is also reducing the discount for low-income users. Kingsley says low demand is one factor in driving up their pot prices.

TAXIDERMY RIVALRY

LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- It's Michigan State versus the University of Michigan -- as played by stuffed chipmunks. Lansing-based taxidermist Nick Saade has created a football display with 22 stuffed chipmunks wearing little Spartan or Wolverine helmets. The chipmunks are in passing, throwing, catching and tackling positions. Saade tells the Lansing State Journal the chipmunk Spartans are about to score the winning touchdown. He adds, "everybody knows MSU is better -- even the chipmunks."

HOT WORK

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- Think you're hot? Don't trade places with Robert Carpenter. He's the pit master at The Grille, a Memphis restaurant. His day starts at 6 when it's relatively cool. But he can't stop grilling as the day heats up. Every time he opens the outdoor barbecue pit, the temperature spikes. Carpenter says a wet towel and an industrial fan help a bit. But he tells the Commercial Appeal newspaper, the real key is, "Water, water and more water."

WASHINGTON (AP) -- U.S. wages and benefits grew in the spring at the slowest pace in 33 years, stark evidence that stronger hiring hasn't boosted pay. The slowdown also reflects a sharp drop-off in bonus and incentive pay.

WEST PALM BEACH, FL -- (Marketwired) -- 03/21/14 -- Companies that pride themselves on being eco-friendly may have conflicted ideas between marketing with ad specialties and maintaining their green reputation. ...